Toppenheim
Toppenheim is a small Dukedom within The Empire province of Austria. Thought techically a Dukedom the region of Toppenheim has grown to such an extent that it is now considered its own province in many ways. Technically a member of the province of Austria the Dukedom and its main city of Pfeildorf basically run themselves all the way south to the Rosen Brooke River. In many ways the region of Toppenheim is more of a client state then an actual province of the The Empire. The regions loyalty to House Toppenheim has reached such a point that during its history it is basically the only province where the worship of Sigmar is not open or even in very large numbers. Instead Toppenheim worships The current Duke is Charles Toppenheim , who continues the line of House Toppenheim, and their effarts to continuesly grow the independance and power of Toppenheim. History Early History The City of Pfieldorf was initially founded by Teutons who were travelling south from their ancestoral homelands in northern Germany. Although twelve tribes are said to have unified behind Sigmar to wage war with Dwarf allies against the greenskin horde, there were many smaller tribes that existed in alliance with the larger tribes in the land that became the Empire. One of these was the Tratten tribe which along with the Agbard and Gesschebi tribes formed the Avermanni League. The tribes of the Avermanni League ranged from the area along the Upper Reik throughout the region of what would became the western region of the Averland province including the site where Nuln would be established. The Avermanni grew wealthy from their control of the nearby trading routes. They also constructed hillforts in the area to defend themselves from tribes seeking to gain advantage at their expense. The Tratten tribe built their principle stronghold, Adlerhorst, on the crest overlooking the confluence of the Rivers Söll and Upper Reik from the south. This allowed the tribe to control trade between the Dwarfs of the Black Mountains and the cities of Tilea, with the lands of the Unberogens and Teutognens to the north. Until the unification of the tribes by Sigmar, the Trattens were most often at odds with the neighbouring Menogoth tribe to the south. Raids for livestock and women were commonplace as the two tribes vied for regional dominance. Empire of Numeron Main Article : Empire of Numeron The city of Phieldorf begin its actual city qualification under its time in the Empire of Numeron. This part of Austria was heavily controlled and lived in by Atlantians, and the Numernorians so the city itself was growing quite substancially. The old hillfort of Adlerhorst covered the entire ridge from the cliff overlooking the confluence of the two rivers to the location of where the Temple of Sigmar now stands. During the time of Ealdorman Markus, two small settlements were established on the flanks of the ridge along the two rivers. In time, they grew into small towns as did the settlement on the ridge. During the reign of Grand Baron Edgar Roebling during their life under the Empire of Numeron, the three settlements were united into one town, which took its name from the original hillfort. The Grand Baron then began the process of rebuilding, including stone walls to offer the townsfolk protection from bandits, goblins, and ambitious vassals. Taxation to secure the funds led to rioting which Grand Baron Roebling and his heirs put down with savage efficiency. Still, the land was not particularly wealthy at that time, and rebuilding was not completed for 30 years, by which time the grandson of Grand Baron Roebling was the Chief of the region and reported to the Numenorians in Fornost. Like many of the Numenorian provincial capitals, Adlerhorst prospered in the Empire first millennia. Its location was ideal as it was rarely directly affected by the politics of Emperors and would-be Emperors in the cities to the south. Coming of Sigmar Battle of Pfeildorf At the time of the Orc invasion, Adlerhorst had earned the nickname of “Pfeildorf” or “Arrow Town” due to the political power of the Honourable Guild of Bowyers and Fletchers and the skill of its numerous members at crafting bows and arrows. In fact, their collective effort was an important and dependable part of the town’s economy and it brought them renown in the southern Empire. During the defence of Adlerhorst, the townsfolk fought bravely, firing arrows and hurling rocks at the Orc invaders. The Orcs, in turn, threw themselves at the hastily built-up defences with the expectation of breaking through to slaughter (and no doubt consume) the townsfolk. In between the attacks, the Orcs called out challenges and hurled insults at the people behind the barricades. Stories telling of the courage and resourcefulness of the townsfolk during this dire time abound. One such legend tells about the retreat of the Orcs from the town. After the defenders succeeded in throwing back the latest attack, the Orc war chief, his lieutenant, and a shaman approached just out of bowshot in order to taunt the weakening defenders. Behind them were the other Orc warriors screaming profanities and making obscene gestures in support of their leaders. Suddenly, a large hooded man dressed as a woodsman appeared among the tired fighters with a large bow. Silently, he notched three arrows and pulled back the bowstring. The arrows flew straight to their respective targets, embedding themselves deep into the throats of each Orc leader. The three collapsed and died instantly, momentarily stunning their rank and file as well as the townsfolk of Adlerhorst. Once awareness dawned, the dim-witted Orcs fled from the town as the defenders cheered. As the townsfolk turned to give thanks for their deliverance, the mysterious stranger who slew the Orc leaders was no where to be seen. Some believe the man to be an avatar of Taal, while others believe that the archer was Sigmar himself. The arrows were retrieved by the grateful townsfolk. One of the arrows was awarded to the temple of Sigmar and a second to the temple of Taal. The third – which slew the Orc Warlord – was hung above the throne in the great hall of Castle Adlerhorst. Rise of House Toppenheim Main Article : House Toppenheim Following the reign of Emperor Magnus Pios, and the third Chaos invasion, the leadership of Austria went through a period of decline. The leaders in Austria were not the greatest and this allowed the members of House Toppenheim to grow. Under the rule of House Toppenheim, Pfeildorf recovered from the ordeal and prospered. What remained of the old town walls were torn down so that the town could expand to accommodate its growing population. Many of the ruins of buildings destroyed in the siege were cleared away so sewers could be constructed to carry the wastes from the hilltop area of old Alderhorst to the rivers via conduits beneath the lower lying districts. The river ports were reconstructed as was the Hall of Justice and the temples to Sigmar and Verena. The building programme created the burden of taxation and the period was marked by occasional rioting by the populace. With the outbreak of the Empire-wide Wizards’ War, the population bore the taxes to re-build the town walls in a relatively co-operative manner. All desired some protection in case of attack by outlawed wizards and their vile, daemonic servants. Luckily, most of the battles were fought far from Pfeildorf. War with Arnor Main Article : Arnor War Growth Renewed Conflict with Arnor Goverment Privy Council The Privy Council consists of seven members, five of who are drawn from the great noble families of Toppenheim. Of the remaining two, one represents the collective interest of Pfeildorf’s guilds and the other is elevated from the governmental bureaucracy (generally based on merit rather than nepotism). The last position bares the title of Privy Secretary and is currently occupied by one Franz Walsinheim, a diligent man thoroughly obsessed with the preservation of Toppenheimer’s rule, more so after the incident involving Baron Sektliebe and the subsequent absorption of Austria. Foreign Affairs The government of Pfeildorf remains on friendly relations with its Imperial and Dwarf neighbours as well with the neighbouring provinces. The provincial government essentially works on the premise that it is in its best interest to not offend its trading partners, even those located on the far-flung eastern frontiers. Several of Pfeildorf’s trading partners have small embassies located within the town wall. The larger of these are trade missions for the Dwarf kingdoms of Karak Hirn and Karak Norn and the Tilean city of Miragliano. In addition, trading companies from the Imperial provinces of Averland and Wissenland as well as Nuln have established a presence in Pfeildorf. These embassies tend to support the mercantile interests of their people as well sustain their merchants who travel to the Sudenlander town on business. Demographics Ethnicity Religion Sigmar Pfeildorfers are a devout people. The town hosts multiple shrines, chapels, and temples to all the recognised gods of the Empire, as well as local gods and spirits. Many of the townsfolk spend a few minutes of each day visiting a temple or shrine, working their way through the gods as need requires. Compared to the other official cults, the Church of Sigmar has special prominence in Pfeildorf and the nearby settlements along the Upper Reik. Many of the local establishments claim that Sigmar slept, ate, or stopped for a breather on the very site where they stand when he led the united tribes against the greenskin hordes in the Battle of Black Fire Pass or on his victorious return to the Unberogen lands along the Reik. If half the claims were true, Sigmar and his followers would have travelled less than a mile a day. Myrmidia Myrmidia is the goddess of strategy: of the science and art of war. She is popular in the southern Empire region of Toppenheim, but is most widely worshiped in Tilea and Estalia. In The Empire, her largest temple stands in the city-state of Pfieldorf where the Temple itself is the center of religion in the region. There is much mutual dislike between the cults of Myrmidia and Ulric – both deal in conflict, but their methods are wildly different. This rivalry manifests itself as a desire for followers of the two cults to try to outdo each other on the field of battle. Myrmidia’s priests wear white robes with red trim, and blue cowls. Her symbols are a spear behind a shield, and the Pegasus. This color scheme has been the main driving force of the forces of Toppenheim who also share this color scheme and many also have the icons on their armor and banners. Dragonoph Following the rise of the Dragontooth Syndicate the poor sections of the city of Pfeildorf would begin to convert in large numbers to the Temple of Dragonoph which with the assistence of generous benifactors from Gilneas provided immense assistence to the poor, and alongside the growing control of the criminal element of the Dragontooth Syndicate the conversions begin to become noticeable. Knights Orders The Toppennacht These knights are the premier knightly order of Toppenheim. They are something like the Reiksguard is to the Reik, only for Toppenheim. They are dressed in the same colors (white and red) as the Provincial troops. They were headquartered in the capital of the province Pfieldorf during the time of the three emperors, but following this event they moved themselves to the Toppenheim town of Durbheim where they have become somewhat the Feudal leaders of the town. Recruitment in the Toppennacht is very dependent on your loyalty to House Toppenheim and disloyalty is not simply frowned upon it will lead to your death if discovered. Because of this many see The Toppennacht as the secret police of House Toppenheim. Points of Interest Major Cities Pfeildorf See Also : Pfeildorf Pfieldorf is a major city in The Empire province of Austria. While technically part of Austria, its a city state of the Dukedom of Toppenheim. Pfieldorf has been defined for the majority of its history by the comings and goings of the powerful House Toppenheim. House Toppenheim lost their ancestoral control during the rise of Sigmar, and from that point on every subsequent leader of the House has attempted to regain their ancient power in the region of Toppenheim, and specifically their ancestoral capital of Pfeildorf. With a population in excess of 220,000 it is a massive town with huge influence. Alongside this massive population the city also contains a large standing army of 40,000 that are some of the most elite troops in the entire province of Austria. Towns Durbheim See Also : Durbheim Category:Dutchy in Austria Category:Kingdoms of Europe Category:Kingdoms